WINTON HISTORIC RACE MEETING 2010

Sprite Drivers Club of Victoria display and tent. 

Patrick Kukla our own press photographer and magazine Editor.

On Friday  28^thMay a convoy of gathered out side the Crafers BP at the ungodly hour of 6:30am.We then set off for the WangarattaCaravan Park.On this trip were David Low, Ken Dutch, Miles Jackson, Chris Brine, John Whitburn,Peter Holmes, Bevan Adams, Paul Doube, Barry Edson, Phil Kies, Don Cardone,David and Carol Tye. Travelling separately was Patrick Kukla.

 The trip took all dayand we travelled over 900 kilometers. We all arrived safely having driventhrough some very heavy rain. At the caravan park we were split into 3 cabins,and were soon unpacked. As to be expected a good pub was found, the PinsetHotel in Wangaratta.

After a well behaved night we awoke to some very heavy rain.So we all dressed accordingly, heavy rainwear and boots. Then off to the track,and here I had to meet up with Greg Corbin , President of the Sprite DriversClub of Victoria. Greg had managed to secure us a few tickets, some of ourmembers had been given some tickets. Tickets for the two days including pitpasses are $50.00 per head. We managed to offset the costs and only pay $20.00for the people still requiring tickets. Ken Dutch worked the maths. A $30 eachsaving.

On entering the track we made our way to the Sprite DriversClub of Victoria tent, only to see Greg and his wife Terry unpacking all thisdelicious food for lunch. They had salad rolls, wraps, cakes , biscuits and teaand coffee. This was all free to us, and our numbers had been calculated so wecould each have two of everything.

Then it was time to tour the pits or watch the racing. Whata decision !  We chose to tour the pits,and quickly found Max Pegram in his well turned out Bugeye Sprite. OtherSprites Racing were Don Bartley from NSW, Lynden Arnel, and Troy Ryan from ourClub. Arnel and Ryan were racing very close to each other and posing a real challenge.Don Bartley was right up near the front and managed to stay there all weekend.The performance of the Bugeye was quite remarkable as managed to beat a LotusElan and stay close to a V8 MGB. The rain 

Max Pegram's Bug-Eye

was not really a problem, but when wefelt like drying off we could always go back to the Sprite Drivers Club ofVictoria and dry off a bit. One of the displays was from the ‘Ferel Sports CarClub Inc, this consisted of  cars olderthan 50 years in unrestored condition, but all the mechanicals and safety itemsright up a good standard. So there were battered utes with torn canvas, chooksin the back, dead foxes hanging off the rear, rusting paint work, rabbit traps,and the drivers were dressed to match this image.There were old Ford V8 utes,Morris J van, an Standard Swallow Sports car, the forerunner of the Jaguar.

Left; Max Pegram's Bugeye Motor.

Middle; A 998cc 'A' series motor in a Photon Lotus.

Right; Troy Ryan's car.

Above; The other side of the Photon Lotus Motor

Another very unusual exhibit appeared firstly as a largeplain sided truck, much like a removalist truck. When it was opened a huge1930’s style racer appeared. It was rolled out, and what a sight. The body washighly polished aluminum and under the bonnet was a 27 liter Rolls Royce Merlinengine producing around 2000 horsepower. Then when it was started up the carshook, the ground shook, ladies and

On the Saturday night we went to the Commercial Hotel inBenella at the invitation of the Sprite Drivers Club of Victoria, and had agreat meal and conversation with their members. It was here we hatched a planfor next year. Drive over in our Sprites, but take 2 days. This will enable usto make hourly stops and still get to half distance on the first day.

Powered by a Rolls Royce 'Merlin' Engine

On the Sunday we awoke to a much better weather, the rainwas clearing, and during the day it completely disappeared. Again we keptwalking around looking at the various trade stalls selling parts andmemorabilia, and back into the pits. Here we spoke to Don Bartley from Sydneywho had the fastest Sprite on the weekend, taking advantage of the wet weatherwith a new set of wet weather tyres. Could he maintain this advantage now thetrack was drying out? He wasnervous about this a he had two V8 muscle cars right behind him, soneeded to beat them to the first corner, as he had done so in the wet, but  in the dry they out gunned him, but he keptthe other quick cars behind him.

They last three races on the programme proved why you should nevergo home early, they were fantastic. The Pre-War cars are really incredible towatch as the drivers have  no fear atall, as they slip and slide , it is much more exciting to watch than modernracing. There outright speed is quite surprising. The Group Sa, Sb,Sc sportscars, where the Sprites race was a great race although we all would have likedto have seen the Sprites finish closer to the front. Troy Ryan Mark 3 Sprite1275 cc (our Club 

The 'Feral Sports Car Club

Member) was racing tow to tow against Lynden Arnel  MG Midget 1275cc and Don Bartley Mark 3Sprite 1275cc was running about 5^th. The Bugeye got pushed off thecircuit on the first corner, and although undamaged, had to drive very hard tocatch the back of the field and then pass a couple of cars. Max Pegram thedriver of the Sprite mentioned that several years ago there were 8 or 9Bugeye’s racing at Winton, and he had recently contacted the owners, with theintent of them Racing at the Tasman Revival Meeting at Eastern Creek inNovember 26^th-28^th. Hope he is successful !

Then finally it was all over and we went to the pub had ourmeal and retired back to our cabins to review the weekend. A decision was madeto re-book the three cabins for 2011. So if you would like to join us next yearwe may well need extra accommodation. Bookings need to be made deposits paidabout March 2011, direct to the WangarattaCaravan Park,not as before through me.

 When Motor Racing was dangerious and sex was safe.

David Low

1961Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite Review and Buyer's Guide

Awell-driven lightweight Sebring Sprite is quite capable of worrying a LotusElite on the race track. Who’d have thought it?

by ThorThorson

In1958, following the Austin-Healey 100, Donald Healey and BMC (British MotorCorporation) teamed up to introduce the little Sprite. Speed parts were soonavailable from tuning firms, most notably Speedwell Performance Conversions. Thefirm also collaborated with Frank Costin and the Williams and Pritchardcoachworks to produce a number of lightweight body components, including the “Monza” bonnet and theSpeedwell Sprite GT fixed-head coupe. Sprites were campaigned in the mostimportant rallies and sports car races, with particular success at the Sebring12 Hours, where three standard-bodied Sprites swept the podium in 1959. Aslater described by John Sprinzel and Tom Coulthard in Spritely Years, “SebringSprite” was a catch-all term for racing Sprites homologated under FIAguidelines in 1960, with various upgrades and other modifications, includingbodywork.

The1961 Sebring Sprite offered here is listed within Spritely Years as having beenoriginally fitted with lightweight alloy door skins and rear bodywork. It wasfirst owned by Jack Wolchover, an English rally driver of note who competedwith it in the October 1961 Bournemouth National Rally, the March 1962 BoltonRally, and then a number of club events. The Sprite found its way Stateside,where it was restored by Jeremy Bowkett and raced by Peter McLaughlin. At the1996 Monterey Historics, the Sprite achieved a podium finish with Stirling Mossdriving. As offered, this car is fitted with a fiberglass bonnet and a lift-offhard top, as well as being fully sorted with Tilton clutch and brakeassemblies, an ATL fuel cell, and Minilite racing wheels.

This1961 Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite Review and Buyer's Guide appeared in theJune, 2010 Issue of Sports Car Market Magazine.

  The SCM Analysis 

Thiscar sold for $44,000, including buyer’s premium, at RM’s Automobiles of AmeliaIsland Auction in Floridaon March 13, 2010. All net proceeds benefited the Amelia Island Concoursd’Elegance Foundation, Inc.

Thiscolumn will endeavor to address those burning questions that lurk somewhere inthe back of every vintage racer’s mind: “Just what is a Sebring Sprite, anyway?How are they different from a garden-variety Bugeye? And why are they worth somuch more money?” If these hadn’t been haunting you, hopefully this mishmashwill now keep you awake at night.

Let’s start with someBugeye basics

Inthe late 1950s, BMC and Donald Healey decided there would be a good market fora true entry-level sports car, something that was tiny, cheap, and fun, to sellto the rapidly expanding post-war British market. They came up with the Sprite,which was introduced in the spring of 1958. It was a very innovative design,using stressed body panels as part of the structure, similar to the D-typeJaguar, and it was the first volume-production car to try it. The peculiarfront design was the result of an intent to incorporate pop-up headlights inthe bonnet. With an eye to keeping costs down, the idea was dropped but the lightsstayed where they were, thus the “Bugeye” (“Frogeye,” if you’re a Brit) look.The car was an immediate success both in the U.K.and in America.They weren’t fast (43 hp stock, 80 mph top speed, 0–60 mph in 20 seconds), butthey were an absolute giggle to drive and cheap enough (about $1,600) that theywere accessible to virtually anyone who could fit in one. The early BabyBoomers learned about sports cars in them.

Amateurmotor racing was just coming into its post-WWII glory years, and some internationalracing exposure for the car was an obvious marketing approach, so BMC workedwith Donald Healey to build cars to compete at the Sebring 12 Hours in thespring of 1959. Healey immediately saw a chance to create a smaller version ofhis 100M competition car with alloy bodywork and the like.

Huge power increase, arelative term

Themoney people at BMC wouldn’t go for it, though, so a team of four stock-body“Sebring Sprites” was prepared. The engines got bigger SU carburetors andgeneral race mods to produce a whopping 57 hp (don’t laugh, that’s a 33%increase from stock), close-ratio transmissions, and a lightweight fiberglasshard top. The other big change, and what really defined these four, is thatthey received four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes and wire wheels. Wire wheels mostlyallowed for quick tire changes, but the brakes were a huge advantage—theSprites could virtually out-brake everybody in the race. All four cars went toSebring but only three raced (the fourth was a spare) and they finished 1-2-3in class. The Sprite, from then on, had serious racing credibility and the term“Sebring Sprite” came to mean “race car.”

Overthe next few years, both the factory and independent speed merchants(particularly Speedwell of north London)developed a number of racing modifications. Williams and Pritchard (also in thearea) worked with John Sprinzel to build a more aerodynamic fastback hard top,and though I don’t think it was on the published options list, the factoryproduced door skins and the rear body in aluminum. It was not exotic, mostly amatter of putting an alloy sheet instead of steel into the body stamping press,then pop riveting the result onto the subframe, but it saved significantweight. Building the one-piece bonnet from aluminum never caught on; fiberglasswas the preferred way to improve aerodynamics and save weight up front.

FIA vs. SCCA specs makethe difference

Acritically important distinction needs to be mentioned here. All race car prepis done in accordance with specific rules, and since the 1950s there have beentwo very distinct sets; the European way (well, really the rest of the world)via FIA rules, and the American way via SCCA rules. For international races(like Sebring) the FIA rules apply. At the time, FIA rules for productionracers allowed “alternative bodywork” to be used, mostly alloy and fiberglasspanels. The SCCA’s approach was “if it came off the showroom floor with steelbodywork, that’s how you’re going to race it.” The result is that there can bea substantial difference between a car prepped to SCCA racing rules and one toFIA rules. The FIA cars are what we generically call “Sebring Sprites.” Most“Sebring Sprites” never raced in Florida, oranywhere in the U.S.,and some only did rallies.

Thereisn’t a lot of difference between a well-prepared SCCA-spec Bugeye and aSebring Sprite in today’s vintage racing world. There’s no difference inhorsepower or gear ratios, and nobody uses wire wheels to race. The onlyfour-wheel disc brake Sprites were the original 1959 Sebring cars; everythingafter that went to a Lockheed disc front and an eight-inch drum rear, whichworks just as well. The FIA cars are allowed to be a bit lighter (150 lb, as infiberglass bonnet and alloy door skins) but most U.S. clubs aren’t inclined tonotice that kind of thing, so both the experience and the lap times areeffectively the same. The difference is collectibility. The whole SebringSprite idea is that it was originally built for international competition, andthat gives it a cachet that somebody’s entry-level club racer just can’t have.In the marketplace, such a distinction counts for a lot.

Justhow much might surprise you; $25,000 is all the money in the world for anexcellent vintage racer Sprite, but depending on history and specific cardetails, a Sebring Sprite easily can be worth multiples of that. The 1959Sebring winner is the most iconic, with a reputed value well over $100k, andthe 1961 class winner sold a year ago for close to $70k with a disappointedseller. Our subject car doesn’t have much period history, but it is alegitimate FIA racer that came with “factory” aluminum body panels and has beensuperbly prepared as a vintage racer. Combine that with the fact that theproceeds went to a good charitable cause, and I’d say the car was fairly boughtand sold.

 We wish to Thank the publishers of the web magazine Sports car Market www.sportscarmarket.com for allowing us to publish this article.

Provisional Itinerary

Friday18^th February – evening departurefrom  Melbourneon the Bass strait ferry for over-night journey (We’ll arrange safe storage oftow cars and trailers in Melbournefor interstate participants contemplating this method of getting their Spriteto the ferry)

Saturday19^th February – arrive Devonport.Breakfast at the Anver’s chocolate factory! Short journey to Wynyard (overnight stop) with various options –via Cradle Mountain, via Penguin/Ulverstone or viaStanley(historic village)

Sunday20^th February – depart Wynyard viaHellyer Gorge (famous Targa stage) to Strahan, (overnight stop) on the wild west coast via Cradle Mountain(if you missed it the previous day) or the historic mining towns of Waratah andZeehan.

Monday21^st February – stay in Strahan. Options– Gordon river cruise, or the Wilderness railway to Queenstown (bothexcellent!)

Tuesday22^nd February – as above.  Options- whatever you didn’t do on Monday!(cruise or railway). Short drive to Queenstown (overnight stop) over another Targa stage road.

Wednesday23^rd February – to Hobart via Derwent Bridge etc. (overnight stop, will be just acrossthe river from the centre of the city, with great views)

Thursday24^th February – stay in Hobart. Options – drive to PortArthur,  to Mt Wellington, tothe Huon  Valleyor to historic  Richmond,or just hang around Hobart.

Friday25^th February – stay in Hobart. Options as above.

Saturday26^th February – a.m. visit Salamanca market! Beforedeparting Hobartfor Bicheno on the east coast (overnightstop)

Sunday27^th February – stay in Bicheno. Options– visit FreycinetNational park, visit EastCoast wildlife park, visit the world’s smallest seahorse aquarium or spend aday at the beach at Bicheno.

Monday28^th February – travel to Launceston (overnight stop) Lots to see and dohere.

Tuesday1^st March – am hang around Launceston.Lunch at the Motorsport themed Longford pub before returning to Devonport toboard the overnight ferry back to Melbourne.

       TASMANIAN SPRITE TOUR FEB 2011

Provisional Itinerary

Friday18^th February – evening departurefrom  Melbourneon the Bass strait ferry for over-night journey (We’ll arrange safe storage oftow cars and trailers in Melbournefor interstate participants contemplating this method of getting their Spriteto the ferry)

Saturday19^th February – arrive Devonport.Breakfast at the Anver’s chocolate factory! Short journey to Wynyard (overnight stop) with various options –via Cradle Mountain, via Penguin/Ulverstone or viaStanley(historic village)

Sunday20^th February – depart Wynyard viaHellyer Gorge (famous Targa stage) to Strahan, (overnight stop) on the wild west coast via Cradle Mountain(if you missed it the previous day) or the historic mining towns of Waratah andZeehan.

Monday21^st February – stay in Strahan. Options– Gordon river cruise, or the Wilderness railway to Queenstown (bothexcellent!)

Tuesday22^nd February – as above.  Options- whatever you didn’t do on Monday!(cruise or railway). Short drive to Queenstown (overnight stop) over another Targa stage road.

Wednesday23^rd February – to Hobart via Derwent Bridge etc. (overnight stop, will be just acrossthe river from the centre of the city, with great views)

Thursday24^th February – stay in Hobart. Options – drive to PortArthur,  to Mt Wellington, tothe Huon  Valleyor to historic  Richmond,or just hang around Hobart.

Friday25^th February – stay in Hobart. Options as above.

Saturday26^th February – a.m. visit Salamanca market! Beforedeparting Hobartfor Bicheno on the east coast (overnightstop)

Sunday27^th February – stay in Bicheno. Options– visit FreycinetNational park, visit EastCoast wildlife park, visit the world’s smallest seahorse aquarium or spend aday at the beach at Bicheno.

Monday28^th February – travel to Launceston (overnight stop) Lots to see and dohere.

Tuesday1^st March – am hang around Launceston.Lunch at the Motorsport themed Longford pub before returning to Devonport toboard the overnight ferry back to Melbourne.

 UPDATE 

 We have done some more work and have costings for the ferry trip to and from Tasmania. This will be the only part of the trip that we expect you will have to pay in advance. The group tour costings are for two people sharing a twin cabin with private bathroom facilities on the ferry is $183 per person each way and $74 each way for your Spridget  (total for 2 people plus car return) is $880. We are advised that there is a cheaper rate for pensioners and there may be some Sprite owners who can take advantage of this - the rate for a pensioner as about is $132 per person each way. The ferry cost will have to be paid a month before we sail, and we're thinking that we'll insist that half of that is paid when people commit to the trip?